So, you wanna look like Zeus or Ares from the DC Universe? I can relate. But before we can dream about what we may look like as deities, we first need to get to training – hard.
What would it take to look like a Greek god? Poundage, cardio, a plethora of chicken breasts?! Kinobody seems to have the answer. Well, let’s see.
About the Creator – Kinobody
I’m going, to be honest with you: I have no idea who Kinobody is. I had to do a lot of research to get up to speed on this person. And what I learned shocked me!
… Not really, but click baiters gonna clickbait.
Kinobody – or Greg O’Gallagher, as he’s sometimes known – is a professional fitness influencer with a focus on creating a superhero-like physique. None of that bulging muscles on a bodybuilding stage, no. Aesthetics and flow come first.
This Canadian 20-something-year-old took the world by storm in the late 2010s, creating YouTube and Instagram content perfectly in line with his overarching idea of lean and aesthetic physiques.
His Instagram has amassed more than 900,000 followers, and his YouTube has gained well over 600,000 subscribers – safe to say he’s successful.
Kinobody’s other achievements include:
- Creating various programs for the public to purchase, like the Kino Athlete Program and Kinobooty
- Publishing the Kino Chef cookbook
- Becoming a millionaire at 24
- Kinobody grossed $3.6 million in 2017 and $8 million in 2018
- He also launched his own line of supplements
Kinobody is certainly one to watch and follow into the future. His content is quite engaging and entertaining – but are his programs any good?
Let’s take a look at the Greek God Program.
Kinobody Greek God Program Overview
The Kinobody Greek God Program kicks off with a video of promises and lingo to make you really excited for what’s to come.
“That Hollywood Physique… Building muscle while staying lean… Building muscle in all the right places…”.
Now, anyone who knows a tad bit about training will know that lingo like this is simply sales. But he’s pretty good at it; I’ll give him that!
He goes on to mention how relative strength is important, seeing as staying leaner will ensure that you build quality muscle and don’t go through the frankly very uncomfortable “bulking” stage. However, it must be said: lean bulking works great for some but not for all.
And just before you start rolling your eyes, we see a bit of science! He claims that beginners can gain a maximum of 2-3 pounds of muscle per month, which is right on the money.
Managing the expectations of your customer care is key – underpromise and overdeliver.
- Fitness level: Beginner to intermediate
- Duration: 24 weeks
- Workouts per week: 3 workouts per week
- Average workout duration: 60 minutes
- Equipment needed: Full gym
- Goal: Build muscle
The overarching idea of the plan is then revealed, which is building relative strength – and not a bad idea if you think about it.
- Lift weights in the gym to drive muscle protein synthesis.
- Feed the body the amino acids and other foods it needs.
- Sleep (a lot).
- Repeat step one, just with more weights or reps.
For the measurement of strength, as time passes in the program, Kinobody will have you sticking to some of the basics, such as the incline bench press, military press, weighted chin-ups, weighted dips, Bulgarian split squat or box squat, and Romanian deadlift (barbell or dumbbell).
He then dives into the different ways of lifting, particularly different training styles. The one he relies on most would be classified as Reverse Pyramid Training, which differs from the normal “Start light and go heavier” idea.
For instance:
| Bench Press | |
|---|---|
| Pyramid Training | Reverse Pyramid Training |
| 100 x 12 | 175 x 8 |
| 125 x 10 | 125 x 11 |
| 175 x 6 | 100 x 11 |
This is also often referred to as the “Main and Backoff Set” lifting style, and it’s really effective, in reality. Since you’re fresher in the beginning, why not do the more challenging sets, then?
The next lifting style is called Kino Rep Training, which despite the fact that it sounds like Anime, he believes can bring you some more gains. Apparently…
Here’s the gist of it:
- Do 12 – 15 reps.
- Increase the weight, and do another 12 – 15 reps.
- Repeat for 5 reps.
- And apparently, this would increase the effective volume that’ll lead to muscle growth.
Bullsh*t.
We know that muscles only grow within the last 5 reps shy of failure, and if you can increase the weight with no rest and still bang out 12 – 15 reps, you’re either lying to yourself, or the weights are hilariously too light for you. It’s essentially a reverse drop set…
The last lifting method is called Rest Pause Training, which is a tried and tested method by the likes of Dante Trudel and John “Mountain Dog” Meadows, both professional bodybuilders and trainers.
The overarching mechanism of mechanical tension overload (wow, that’s a lot of big words) is essentially chasing reps at a heavy load. You set yourself a rep range, grind a particular load out until you reach the upper end up of that range, and then – and only then – do you increase the load.
Other regular strength training tropes, like switching exercises when you hit a strength plateau, are also used.
But enough about the general idea and all this mumbo jumbo! What about the cold hard facts? How does the program look, and how does it progress? Is it worth it?
Greek God Program Details
As mentioned, the Greek god program is going to be long, around 6 months. This may bore some people. However, this is actually how long it’ll take for you to make the biological adaptations needed – especially if you’re doing it lean.
The plan is split into three 8-week phases, each with its own focus:
- Phase 1 is focused on the shoulders, which, of course, are vital for that V-taper look we see with literally every god in Marvel or DC. Solid and large shoulders look dominant and in charge, and they require a robust training regime.
- Phase 2 is focused on the chest, seeing as the chest could potentially be seen as the biggest sign of masculinity.
- Phase 3 has no real focus other than strength and hypertrophy.
Let’s dig a little bit deeper into the program.
Does That Mean I Only Train THAT Muscle?
This was the first question that popped into my head as well. Usually, programs are set up in phases where strength or volume accumulation are the goals.
But one muscle group? Seems odd…
Each phase has two workouts, and over two weeks, you’ll do three of A and three of B (A, B, A, B, A, B). And to my surprise, you do kinda only work on that muscle.
Let’s look at workouts A and B from phase 1.
| Workout A | Workout B |
|---|---|
| Incline Barbell Press | Weighted Chin-ups |
| Standing Press | Incline Dumbbell Hammer Curls |
| Tricep Rope Pushdown | Bulgarian Split Squats |
| Lateral Raises | RDL with Dumbbells |
| Hanging Knee Raises | Face Pulls |
Upon reviewing this, you might be thinking, “that’s odd,” and you’d be right. There’s a definite focus on the shoulders in Workout A, and the rear shoulders also get some loving in Workout B.
So, could this work? Theoretically. You do have an adequate volume with a decent spread of load in the workout.
However, the glaring issue here is the full-body split. That way, you get to overload the muscle (every muscle) 7 times over two weeks! Here, most muscles only get 3 times over two weeks.
Which sounds better – progressing your lifts 7 times every 14 days or only 3 times? My money is on the former.
Here’s how a full-body split could look when it’s focused on the shoulders:
| Workout A | Workout B |
|---|---|
| Seated Shoulder Press | Cable Lateral Raises |
| Y Raise | Incline Barbell Press |
| Cable Flyes | Wide Grip Pulldown |
| Deadlifts | Leg Press |
| Leg Extensions | Seated Hamstring Curl |
| Lying Hamstring Curl | Adductors |
| Adductors | Seated Calf Raises |
As you can see, doing a full-body split would allow you to train all of the muscles every two days, and by doing shoulder movements first, you’re still giving them some serious lovin’.
The idea that you spend weeks on end having whole workouts (50% of all your workouts, in fact) that only focus on these muscles is slightly idiotic. Muscles have the ability to recover a lot faster than you might think, especially in beginners.
That said, this isn’t the only training program included in your purchase. Something else called MEGA Training is also included. Feel like this could’ve been called Omega Training to fit within the god theme…
What on Earth Is Mega Training?
MEGA – or minimum effort growth acceleration training is – as Kinobody describes it, a period in which you grow massively, but only in short bursts. The overarching idea is to increase volume by adding exercises.
But be careful! If you keep doing this style of training for too long, it’ll stop working! He recommends you stick to 3 months or 12 weeks only.
The problem is there are no citations, no guide on how to progress… and when studying the workouts, there is no progression.
| Phase 1 (0 – 6 Weeks) | Phase 2 (7 – 12 Weeks) |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 3 sets x 4-6, 6-8, 8-10 reps (reverse pyramid training) | Incline Barbell Bench Press 3 sets x 4-6, 6-8, 8-10 reps (reverse pyramid training) |
| Close Grip Bench Press 3 sets x 6-8, 8-10, 10-12 (reverse pyramid training) | Standing Barbell Press 3 sets x 6-8, 8-10, 10-12 reps (reverse pyramid training) |
| Cable Crossovers 4 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep training) | Machine Bench Press 4 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep training) |
| Lateral Raises 1 set x 12-15 reps + 3 mini-sets x 4-6 reps (rest-pause training) | Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extensions 4 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep training) |
| Triceps Pushdowns 4 sets x 10-12 reps (Kino rep training) | Upright Rows 4 sets x 12-15 reps (Kino rep training) |
Where is this added volume? Where is the progression? Where are the adaptations to account for the body’s adaptations to mechanical tension?
He has the cheek to then go on to advocate that you use his supplements because this training is so intense that you might need it!
Laughable.
He finishes off the training part of the plan with the “Three-Day Split.” This is where we find another laughable claim by Kinobody:
“The back and legs are big muscle groups and can easily become overdeveloped. The harder muscle groups to build are the shoulders, arms, and upper chest.”
Right, so how many guys have you heard say, “Jeez, it’s so easy building these 30-inch tree trunks for legs but damn! Building biceps is hard!” Literally, not a single person.
How “hard” it is for a muscle to grow (with all variables accounted for) would purely depend on genetics. At this point, it sounds like Kinobody is just talking nonsense to fill a program with something, not to give off to him, but it’s beginning to sound desperate.
The Three-Day Split is essentially push-pull legs, but he tried to make it seem like he designed this revolutionary program himself. There’s nothing wrong with PPL. In fact, I followed it for years. But don’t sell it as your own.
One thing that wins back some points for Mr. Kino is the tracking he advises you to do. Anyone who has spent a wee bit of time in the gym will know that tracking progress is key.
Kinobody advocates, you track the following:
- Lifts in the gym to ensure you are indeed getting stronger (granted, your form remains good).
- Waist measurements will allow you to see if you’re adding fat tissue.
- Chest and other muscle measurements to see if you’re growing muscle (not sure how you’d see muscle vs. fat here).
- Check-in photos are always a must.
Kinobody is also keen on an odd “ranking” system to measure yourself against these false deities we see on the big screen – because my own body dysmorphia wasn’t enough!
A Godlike person might be able to do 1.4x their body weight for 5 reps on an incline barbell bench, 100 percent body weight attached for 6 reps on dips, have a waist that is only 45 percent of their height, and arms that are 50 percent of their waist.
Definitely, something to reach and strive for, but again, not something that’s completely necessary.
I would have rather introduced a “How much have you progressed” system. Someone who increased their bench by 30% is a god or something like that. The goal is progression, after all.
In closing, there are “Bonus” features on the plan that, again, I have questions over. He claims he designs some of the best programs ever, and yet, I haven’t come across a single person in my clientele who has followed his plans (or has even mentioned him).
Some of these bonus features include:
- Physique Mastery Bonus Routine
- The Shoulder-Focused Strength and Density Routine
- The Leg-Focused Strength and Density Bonus Routine
- The Greek God Missing Link: Neck and Traps
- Lean Bulking Blueprint Bonus Podcast
- Self Hypnosis (what?)
- And Frequently Asked Questions
These are welcome additions. However, I would’ve liked to see him spend the time he used to create those on improving his overall plan.
In the past 12 months, I’ve trained more than 500 clients. Is it possible that he has? Sure, but I have never heard of anyone boasting about his programs.
He is on the right track, though. He talks about progression, he talks about increasing strength, and that being the most important factor to look at, so he definitely does know the basics.
Some other things that I would’ve liked to see in the workout department:
- Talking about recovery and how to improve it, such as managing stress, and maybe a section on how to manage the cortisol we all have to deal with
- Some references for both his own and scientific claims would’ve been very welcome. It’s very easy to make claims about how great your workouts are with no proof. Or how they’re revolutionary, but not a single study is referenced.
Other than that, the workout part is alright – for the most part. Sure, some of the lifting techniques are interesting, to say the least. However, I understand that some folks want something new, and the monotony of pure progressive overload can get boring.
But What About the Diet?
Right! Time we talk about the Greek God diet. Diet plays a massive role in any training endeavor, and the old adage of “You cannot out-train a bad diet” will always ring true.
So, what does Kinobody advocate for this program?
Right off the bat, we’re off to a bad start. Instead of using something like the Harris-Benedict Equation (which you can find here), he uses the ‘ol “15 times your bodyweight is the number of calories you need per day.”
Not completely inaccurate, but about as accurate as eating soup… with a fork. It works… somewhat. To save his own bacon, he simply mentions that you “adjust as necessary.” Very scientific.
Then, we finally reach the big problem and a rather glaring one, at that. He gives the same training program to people bulking and those doing a recomposition.
Now, if you’ve ever done a proper cut, you’ll know that your recovery capabilities tank after a while. Giving the same volume to those who have ample amounts of food vs. those who don’t is downright stupid and somewhat even dangerous!
Yes, he simply removes calories on rest days and adds those to the workout days, but how is that supposed to cause fat loss?
Studies on carb cycling are rare, and there’s very little evidence that it is better for fat loss than just a regular deficit. He even says, “Weekly calorie surplus = 0,” but that also means there is no deficit… which means no fat loss.
Macro-wise he is on track, advocating around 2 grams of protein per kg of body weight and 20 – 30% of your calories coming from fats (for hormonal function).
And to conclude the nutrition aspect, we take a look at his recommendations for meal timing.
The biggest devil in the pie (what?) is the fact that he advocates skipping breakfast for these reasons:
- “You force your body to burn fat for fuel” – the body will produce growth hormone and burn both fat and stored liver glycogen as energy.
- “Elevate growth hormone,” which doesn’t increase IGF-1 as regular growth hormone does, and since IGF-1 is rather anabolic, you don’t get the anabolic effect of growth hormone.
- “Increase insulin sensitivity,” which actually takes weeks of dietary adjustments, but sure, not having carbs in your mouth for an extra 3 hours will save your waistline.
- “If you wish to workout before your first meal, then I recommend taking 10 grams of BCAAs before training.” so… You’re going to drive a 9-wheel truck with 3 wheels?
For those of you that don’t know, you need all 9 essential amino acids to drive anabolism, and only introducing 3 of those 9 will do absolutely nothing. BCAAs only contains 3 amino acids.
The nutrition part of this plan is a real hit or miss. Sometimes, he’s Layne Norton, and sometimes he’s just a supplement salesman… Not everything can be solved with BCAAs.
2 Greek God Program by Kinobody Pros
- The program is ideal for beginners since the volume isn’t too high, nor are the workouts too intense. Sure, videos on how to do the lifts would be very welcome, and he’s going through the basics of recovery would also be nice. But it’s okay for the most part. Not groundbreaking, but just okay.
- There are plenty of options, and the time of the plan suits the overarching goal! No “12 weeks to look like a god” here! You need to spend months in the gym building some mass, which is exactly what you get! He makes some wild claims, sure, but the idea that this all takes time is 100% true.
2 Greek God Program by Kinobody Cons
- The workouts do not progress like he says they do. Added volume doesn’t take place, and apart from you pushing more weight, there are infrequent adjustments. The idea that you also spend 50% of all workouts only focusing on one muscle is also something I don’t really see the point of.
- The nutrition is laughable, to say the least. He cannot make his mind up about trying to stay lean or build muscle. Skipping breakfast to stay lean, but then adding in calories later in the day to gain…? Why not have a protein-rich breakfast to ensure you have amino acids to build muscle because, let’s face it, you last ate 8 hours ago! He also has the same training volume for that bulking and cutting, which is a HUGE red flag.
Greg O’Gallagher’s Greek God Program – Final Thoughts
The Greek God program is a lot of bark but very little bite. I’m sure there are people who would love this program, especially if they’re big Kinobody fans.
That said, it really doesn’t forgive some of these problems in the plan, such as:
- No citations to back his own scientific claims
- Those looking to lose fat and build muscle use the same amount of volume
- No alternatives to exercises
- A poor nutrition guide that I could find online for free (YouTube exists, you know)
- A massive focus on supplements, in particular, HIS supplements
Perhaps I’m being too harsh. This plan would work for those who work hard. Well, in fact, any plan would work if you do it fully. That said, it certainly isn’t “optimal.” He seems confused about remaining lean and building muscle.
Newsflash – you do need to gain some fat when bulking, especially if you’re relatively scrawny or brand new to training. Having that extra poundage will make lifting heavier and easier (go ask any powerlifter), and you need to get used to being heavier.
If you’re more experienced or a larger fellow, in general, you might wanna keep things a bit tighter. You know which category you fall into:
Do you gain or lose weight on holiday? There you go.
Overall, I wouldn’t spend my money on this plan. I think if you scroll through YouTube and Reddit, you’ll find better programs for free that are more scientific, more engaging, and don’t contradict themselves at all.
Rating: 2.0 out of 5
